Mourinho backs criticised Benfica signing, says he will play tomorrow | OneFootball

Richard Ríos has been heavily criticized by the fans, as he has yet to show why Benfica invested in his signing. After receiving a scolding from José Mourinho, the midfielder will be a starter against Gil Vicente, as confirmed by the coach in the pre-match press conference.

"Richard Ríos? I see reasons to help him a lot, try to bring out the best in him, not ask him to do things he struggles with. I see reasons to protect him as much as possible and let him show his best and hide what is less good," he said.

"The part of the training we did today with him was to try to ask him to do things he feels comfortable with so that people can see the good player he is. When a player enters the field, he carries a sticker on his back with the millions paid for his transfer, but I will not create more pressure. I will create situations for him to play better and for his confidence levels to rise. Ríos will definitely play tomorrow," concluded José Mourinho.

This season, playing for Benfica, Richard Ríos – valued at 16 million euros – has played 12 matches: six in the Liga Portugal Betclic, five in the Champions League, and one in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. In the 1,026 minutes he has been on the pitch, the midfielder has not scored any goals or provided any assists.

The Benfica match is part of the seventh round of the Liga Portugal Betclic and will be played against the team led by César Peixoto.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.